What Can I/Can't I put in a Dishwasher? [Moved from Not About Food board]

We just moved into our new house and have a dishwasher for the first time ever. Everyday plates, silverware, glasses etc. I know can go in the dishwasher. But what about my plastic cups, pots with rubber handles, plastic cooking utensils, cooking utensils with rubber handles? If I have a really dirty plate, will it come clean if on the top shelf? We bought that cascade two in one dish washer packets and we've used it once and it worked really well. I did notice that when the washing was done and I went to get the plates out they were VERY hot, hence my fear of the plastic cups, rubber handles etc. I'm just scared of ruining anything.

Now, that's a whole different set of advice! That's a source of head shaking and laughter in my house. Sometimes I'll open up the dishwasher and see the giant All-Clad megahuge pot in there which practically takes up the entire bottom shelf. Meanwhile there will be 652 plates stacked on the counter which would otherwise all fit in there. Call me crazy, but I'd rather wash one big pot than a bunch of smaller stuff.

That would be the ONE reason I might advocate having a second DW -- pots are a huge "eater" of space. Of course the reality is that good quality cookware is almost always easier to hand wash that a big stack of plates and flatware...

Both the stoneware and enameled cast iron are considered "dishwasher safe" according to their care instructions on their website.

I've put both types of cookware in my DW and have noticed no problems. I just don't leave the cast iron pot sitting in the humid dishwasher after a cycle because I don't want the exposed cast iron edges to rust.

I made the mistake of running my non-stick pots and pans through the dishwasher for a couple of months, but then discovered they had lost their non-stick quality. (Most obvious with the omelet pan. Ouch!) I now only hand-wash them, but the damage has been done.

Don't put non-stick pans in the dishwasher. The non-stick will no longer work, even thought the rest of the pan is fine. Non-stick pans don't give really good service, as it is. Using the dishwasher only makes it worse.

Non-stick and aluminum cookware doesn't go in. I've ruined at least one aluminum sheet pan and non-stick too. Lodge seasoned cast iron can't go in (stiff brush and NO soap). No wood (warm soapy water and air or towel dry), some hand painted ceramic dishes cannot go in (they usually say on the bottom). As already mentioned no thermometers or knives. Or cuisinart blades. Most ice cream scoops cannot go in. My beloved La Tienda paella pan cannot go in (go figure because you can put it on a grill or under the broiler!).

Agreed, Cathy....in all the years of dishwasher use, I have never used the "DRY" cycle. It is totally....sorry to use the word, but...... "un-green". I just don't use it.... saves on elec, and keeps from heating up the house. I'll run the washer cycle in the morning, then I have a "personal" fan that I just plug in and sit on the opened DW drawer.....drying is done in a few hours while I'm away. Then, the fan goes back into the cabinet like all other "appliances".

There is some debate in the medical community about using plastics to eat out of ( especially, if they have been microwaved in or heated up). However, I don't know enough about it to say either way. Your stuff is safe, but the cheapy stuff will become warped over the long haul. I save every plastic container known to man!

I'm right there with you - for some time, everyone claimed plastics were A-okay, no leaching, no chemical interaction, DW-safe, baby-safe, no concern. Now of course there has been study after study revealing the reverse is true on so many of those points. So, although I know many people who believe handwashing is unnecessary, I won't put plastics in the DW and have been slowly culling them from my kitchen. I still use say, the Tupperware, but when it goes I'll replace it with something that isn't plastic.

I save plastic containers and then use them when I give away food so the friend doesn't have to save my container and give it back.

I do wind up using quite a bit of very hot water when I hand-wash plastics. Also, I curse a lot, b/c I HATE washing dishes. ;-)

There are some very nice glass containers with tight-sealing lids from Crate & Barrel, Pyrex, Martha Stewart/K-Mart, Anchor Hoching, and Bormioli Rocco/Frigoverre. IKEA used to have some fairly good ones, but they don't sell them anymore AFAIK.